Picture Frame Storage - Using Chicken Wire

Today I wanted to share my chicken wire picture frame storage unit – AND some good news I’ve been waiting to share : ) First, I’ll start with the frame…..which is probably what you are here for lol.

Paint, an old ugly frame, and chicken wire were all that I used. And it’s been a mainstay at my front door, holding everything from keys to dog leashes.

When I first picked it up at a thrift store, I wasn’t sure this old frame could be used for anything. But it was cheap and pretty sturdy.

See the cream lining around the center of the frame? FABRIC. I’m not sure why they put fabric on frames like this, but I don’t like it lol.

SOOOOO…..I painted over it. What the heck right? I figured the worst that could happen would be…..I throw it away. But it didn’t turn out too bad.

I gave it two coats of white paint, a light sanding with my hand sander, and a layer of poly.

When we bought our puppy, one of the first things we did was buy chicken wire to line our balcony. We didn’t want the little guy falling two stories and it was an easy fix. I think the whole roll we bought was under $5 and we had a ton of extra wire left for my projects.

And now, we never lose our keys or sunglasses!

No one can tell there had ever been fabric present either. Win Win!!!

AND for the good news. Drum rolls please......

D & I are two weeks away from closing on our first house together! You know what that means right?! There will soon be a "Home Tour" page at the top of my blog!! It is going to need a ton of cosmetic work, and I can't wait to share it with you all :) A DIYer's DREAM lol. 

Have a great weekend everyone!!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Jessica

Linking to these parties:
Too Much Time On My Hands - Its Overflowing - Funky Junk Interiors - Coastal Charm
CRAFT - Someday Crafts - Primp - Savy Southern Style - Seven Thirty Three - The Crafty Blog Stalker

The Black Dresser – Before & After

After sitting practically naked for over a year, this thrift store dresser finally got the makeover it deserved.  I wrote about this dresser here, and mentioned how nervous and undecided I was about redoing it.

Just so you have an idea of what I was dealing with...here’s a before…

 

It wasn't horrible, but not a very current style either. However, everything about this dresser was functional and that's probably why it took so long for me to redo it.

The drawers are huge. I love it. This thing holds sooooo much junk it's unbelievable! Only issue was that my stuff kept falling through that crack at the bottom of the drawer.  Oh and the lining was pretty gross too.

This guy didn't need much prep work. Just some slight drawer repair and a light sanding. You can see the holes in the top and there were cracks in certain areas, but I wanted to keep everything original...so I left them as-is.

I applied two coats of paint (no priming), sanded the edges with my electric hand sander to get the aged look, and then applied a coat of Anne Sloan Clear Wax.

I threw some clear knobs on the top drawers and some grey pulls on the larger drawers.

And here are the inside of the drawers. Totally a last minute idea, and super cute.

I just threw these music sheets in and used Modge Podge to secure them.

   

Sooooo....what do you think? My favorite part are the clear knobs and the music sheet liners....and the fact that it's one of the cooler pieces of furniture I own now :)

And FYI - here’s the lowdown of what went into this piece…

Music sheets – thrift store find

Knobs - Hobby Lobby

Pulls – Menards

Paint – Behr Premium Plus ULTRA

Linking to these parties....
The Shabby Nest - Simple Home Life - Too Much Time On My Hands - It's Overflowing
Funky Junk Interiors - I Heart Nap Time - C.R.A.F.T. - Someday Crafts - Primp
Savy Southern Style - Domestically Speaking - Fluster Buster - The Shabby Creek Cottage
It's So Very Cheri

How To Turn A Ball Jar Into A Soap Dispenser – A Tutorial

I love painting furniture and other household items, but I also love creating unique and useful things for the home.  A while back, I turned a basic ball jar into a soap dispenser (read about that here).  Today, I still use it to dispense my dish soap and it works like a charm.

 

 

 

 

So I thought I would share the wealth and give a tutorial on how I created my ball jar soap dispenser. Enjoy :)

 

Here’s what you will need:

Ball Jar (with sturdy lid)

Bottle of Lotion (or anything with a pump you can use)

Screw Driver

Hammer

Hot Glue Gun

Liquid Soap

 

 

 

 

I didn’t have anything around the house with a decent pump, so I went out and bought a cheap bottle of lotion.

 

 

 

 

I knew I needed to punch a hole in the lid. So I used a hammer to get the screwdriver through it. Be sure you protect the surface you do this on. I put a hole in my counter.

 

You’ll need to work the hole until it’s large enough to put the pump through.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, you’ll need to secure the pump to the lid with hot glue. (You can also use gorilla glue if you choose. It works just as well…if not better).

 

 

 

 

The good thing about hot glue, it dries right away. And if you’re impatient like I am, you’ll love that you can use this for your soap right away :0

 

 

 

 

And to my delight, the cap from the liquid dish soap fit perfectly on my bottle of lotion. So I was able to keep the lotion too :)

 

 

 

 

And ta-da

 

 

 

 

This is a sturdy dispenser that will last. I’ve been using mine for a year and it has not problems.

 

 

 

 

Linking to these parties….
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating - Whipperberry - Funky Junk Interiors
Coastal Charm - Elizabeth & Co

1930’s Chair Redo {In ASCP} – Before & After

In my opinion, older furniture is by far the best – ever. Take this 30’s style chair that I redid in Anne Sloan Chalk Paint last weekend.  Isn’t it the coolest thing since sliced bread???  I think so! 

But here’s my issue -- once I put the ASCP and coffee bean sack on it – I fell in love. The kind of love that will always get in the way of selling any of the furniture I redo. This could be a problem….

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Yes…that’s part of a coffee bean sack right there on that seat!  It looks like it was meant to be there.  Wouldn’t you agree?

 

I’m sure this little chair will make someone else very happy. So I shouldn’t be selfish :) Right?

Oh…and in case you were wondering, here are the before pictures.

You can tell this thing was pretty well used over the years. And over the past year has been a catchall for my fiancés socks. lol.

 

Aww….all better! And no more socks!

And I’m glad I finally got to use some of the gazillion coffee sacks I bought awhile back. lol.

Cheers!!!

oh and psst…I’m linking to these parties :)
Funky Junk Interiors - I Heart Nap Time - Coastal Charm
C.R.A.F.T. - Liz Marie Blog - French Country Cottage
Finding Fabulous - Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

End Table -- Dressed In Grey Chalk Paint

 

Today I’m sharing an end table paint redo -- using the infamous Anne Sloan Chalk Paint. Just a little FYI: If you are in the market to refinish a piece of furniture for your home, definitely spend the extra on this paint. It’s fab.

 

Fortunately, I took some before photos. This little end table is solid wood, but had some issues with water damage.

 

 

But I saw potential in this little guy and thought he’d be the perfect addition to my living room. So off to painting I went…

 

 

No sanding is required. Just paint over the nasty. I’m loving the soft color. And I love it even more that there are no more water stains! 

 

Here’s an before & after up-close….

 

 

What do you think?

 

WHAT I USED

 

3/4 Anne Sloan French Linen

1/4 Anne Sloan Pure White

Anne Sloan Clear Soft Wax

 

Have a great day!

 

Linking to these fab parties.
Funky Junk Interiors - SNS 174 - I Heart Nap Time - Sunday Scoop - DIY Showoff
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday - It's So Very Cheri - Elizabeth & Co - Domestically Speaking
Primp - Southern Savy Style - Someday Crafts - Seven Thirty Three
The Shabby Creek Cottage - Miss Mustard Seed - Chick On A Shoestring Decorating
My Romantic Home - The Shabby Nest